Healthcare: SQHN harps on adequate funding for improved services

 

The Society for Quality Healthcare in Nigeria (SQHN) has called for adequate funding for healthcare facilities in Nigeria to improve the quality of their service delivery.

Dr Abiodun Wright, the President of SQHN, made the call at a media briefing heralding the organisation’s Annual Conference in commemoration of World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) on Tuesday in Lagos.

The WPSD is celebrated annually on Sept. 17 to serve as a global reminder of the importance of patient safety.

The conference will have the theme: “Challenges and Opportunities in Regulatory Oversight of Healthcare Providers in West Africa”.

Wright expressed concerns that health facilities in the country had not been properly funded, which he said contributed to the poor quality of services rendered across health facilities in the country.

According to him, funding is key to improved quality of healthcare service delivery.

He said that SQHN was committed to ensuring that improved healthcare services that meet the international standard were rendered in health facilities at all levels across the country.

He explained that SQHN works with health facilities to improve quality and safety of their healthcare services through education, collaboration, training and accreditation.

“The health facilities across the country have not been adequately funded, which is contributing to the poor quality of healthcare services as well as the exodus of medical personnel to abroad.

“Unfortunately, many health facilities lacked the basic equipment and personnel needed for standard healthcare service delivery.

” We believed that if the country drives quality seriously and sustained it, every other thinyg well fall in place. But, if the country is unable to tackle quality due to poor funding, all other challenges confronting the health sector will still be there.

“Hence, the need for adequate funding of the health facilities,” he said.

Speaking, Prof. Dipo Otolorin, SQHN Board Member, called on both government and private hospitals in the country to cultivate maintenance culture to manage and maintain the equipment and personnel in their care.

Congratulating the new Minister of Health, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, Otolorin identified human resource, decentralised health insurance, capacity building and adequate funding as major areas to prioritize in the health system.

“Unfortunately, most hospitals have equipment mortuary where they pack damaged equipment; they cannot maintain the equipment and they can’t throw them away because of accountability.

“This needs to be stopped. If the hospital should imbibe maintenance culture, they will be well positioned to fix the equipment as they damage or replace them with new ones,” Otolorin said.

Speaking on the motive for the conference, Dr Abayomi Sule, the Secretary of SQHN, said the conference would provide an avenue to underscore the significance of regulatory overnight in healthcare.

Sule said the conference, which would be used to commemorate the World Patient Safety Day, would provide a platform for the exchange of best practices and successful strategies among multidisciplinary stakeholders.

“The conference, will be held on Sept. 27 at Landmark Centre, Lagos.

“Distinguished keynote speaker at the event include Dr Abiola Idowu, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu, Former Minister of Health (2010 – 2014) among others.

“The Society invites all healthcare professionals, stakeholders and enthusiasts to join in this conversation by participating in the annual conference,” Sule said. North-East elders hail military onslaught against terrorists